Interlocked spring assembly for padded box springs



Jan. 17, 1961v J. F. CIAMPA 2,968,052

INTERLOCKED SPRING ASSEMBLY FOR PADDED BOX SPRINGS Filed Aug. 28, 1959 r 7 E29. 1 4 v F j k I9 19 13a I /4 F 6 T v a; Va /6-- 13d [a a CL -J r k. I9 19 1 Jbsqzzbfi'aanqzzq United States Patent:

INT-ERLOCKED SPRING ASSEMBLY FOR PADDED BOX SPRINGS Joseph F. Ciampa, Medford, Mass, assiguor'to standard Box Spring Company, Boston, Mass, a corporation ofMassachusetts Filed Aug. 28, 1959, Ser. No. 836,723

1 Claim. (CL. 59-248) This invention relates to improvements in interlocked coil spring assemblies, forming'part'of' padded boxsprings commonly used in upholstered furniture to provide a cushioned seat or back ofchairs, sofas, day beds, and the like.

The principal purpose of the invention is to reinforce the outer convolutions of conventional coil springs with interlocking wires extending both longitudinally and transversely of the assembly, thereby ensuring adequate rigidity with desired resiliency, distributing the load on the padding, reducing the size and number of the open spaces or coils through which the padding may sag between the spaced coils, and permitting an efiicient and comfortable box spring to be produced with a minimum number of widely spaced coil springs and a minimum number of reinforcing wires, which may be easily and economically assembled.

More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide a coil spring assembly in which the interlocking wires are crimped at hook portions which engage the outer convolutions of the coils with a snap action and which are thus securely locked in place without clamping, yet may freely pivot on the convolutions to allow adequate flexibility of the assembly and individual action of the respective coils.

A recommended embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings which illustrate the improved spring assembly insofar as necessary to appreciate the invention. It will be understood that it is not necessary to detail all the elements of a complete box spring which may be of any usual or accepted construction, except for the improved reinforcoing wires to be described in detail, or to show each of the individual coil springs in full, as those may also be of common, conical form. It will also be understood that the structural details of the spring assembly herein illustrated and described may be varied to suit particular purposes or conditions without departing from the essence of this invention, as set forth in the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a spring assembly incorporating the invention, portions of the elements being broken away to avoid repetitive detail; and

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are enlarged, fragmentary sections taken on lines 2-2, 3-3 and 4-4, respectively, of Fig. l.

The spring assembly shown in Fig. 1 comprises an outer or upper frame composed of a border rod 11 formed in rectangular or other desired shape, preferably with rounded corners. The abutting ends of the metal rod may be joined by soldering, clamping or otherwise, to provide a continuous and rigid frame encompassing the conical spring coils 12, one of which is shown complete in the center of the figure. The other wire coils are similar in form, as will be understood.

The coils are preferably spaced a substantial and uniform distance from each other, as shown. The uppermost convolution 13 of each marginal coil is secured to the adjacent border rod 11 by clips or clamps 14 of known type; and the-small convolutions at the bottom of the respective coils are fastened 'to the usual wood base (not shown) by bottom'crimps orstraps 15, as indicated at the-center coilof'Fig. 1, in accordance with common practice in. box spring manufacture. The marginal *or outermost coils arethus supported at their bottoms and partially supported liy' theborder rod at their tops, but the center or intermediatecoils are not supported at the top, except by the interlocking and reinforcingwires now to be described.

In accordance-with this invention, a series of similar reinforcingwires 16, four of which are shown in Fig. 1, extendboth-longitudinally 'and transversely of the spring assembly, and are interlocked'with the upper convolution'soffthecoilsof adjacent lines and adjacent rows of the assembly, respectively.

For example, the wire indicated as 16a has one end 17 folded around the border rod at the top of the figure, then extends under the upper convolution 13a of the marginal coil in the center row, where it is then bent at right angles upwardly and over the wire and extends as a bight 18 toward the complemental coil in the adjacent, left hand row of the figure, where a hook portion 19 of the bight hooks, over the top convolution 13b of that coil. The wire returns to the top convolution 13a passes over and under it at another right angle bend, and extends to the convolution of the next adjacent coil in the center row, where another right angle bight and interlocking hook connects convolutions 12c and 12a. In similar fashion, convolutions 13c and 13) of the lowermost coils of the two rows, as shown in Fig. l, are interlocked, and the opposite end of wire 16a is folded or clamped at 20 to the border rod at the bottom of the figure.

The three other reinforcing wires are of the same form and arrangement as the Wire 16a, and perform the same purpose in interlocking the center row of coils to the next adjacent row of coils on the right, and in interlock: ing the uppermost line of coils to the coils in the center line, and the latter to the coils in the bottom line, as shown in Fig. 1.

As shown more clearly in Figs. 2. to 4, the hook portions 19 of each interlocking wire are of special form to provide freely pivoting hinge portions 21 completely embracing the convolutions of certain spring coils, and crimped portions 22, providing sloping shoulders 23 (Fig. 2.) for engaging such convolutions with a snap action and securing the hinge lock against accidental separation. Each bight portion 18 of the reinforcing wire has two such hinge portions 21 defining the hook 19, and each U-shaped hook 19 has two crimped portions 22, for the purpose described.

It will be observed that the reinforcing wires engage the interior coils of the assembly (as represented by the center coil of Fig. 1) at eight hinge points spaced around the uppermost convolutions, thus affording the desired rigidity of the assembly while permitting the spring coils to yield and flex under pressure by the freely pivoting connection at said points.

At the right angle bends 24, forming half of those hinged connections, the wire is also bent into U-form, as indicated at 25 in Fig. 4, to straddle the coil convolution, so that the straight lengths of the bent wire lie approximately in the same plane between the interlocked coils.

In box springs of large size, having a longitudinal dimension substantially greater than the transverse dimensions, it is preferred that the spring assembly provide one reinforcing wire for each longitudinal row, but it is not necessary that the shorter transverse wires be provided for each line of coils, particularly at the ends of the assembly. It will be apparent that the longitudinal v I 3 and transverse wires may be arranged in any pattern which is selected to afiord the desired firmness at any particular area of the box spring.

A spring assembly constructed as herein disclosed in easy and economical to produce and assemble, efficient in providing firm but flexible support for the padding which is to be laid on top of the assembly and in preventing the padding from dripping between the spaced coils, and stable in maintaining the interlocked joints between the coils and the reinforcing wires against separation under varying pressures on the padding with which the box spring is to be covered.

I claim:

A spring assembly comprising a border frame, a plurality of spring coils arranged in parallel rows and parallel lines within the frame, the uppermost convolutions of the coils in the outermost rows and lines being connected to the border frame, and the uppermost convolutions of each of the coils being spaced from the next adjacent coils, a series of reinforcing Wires extending across the frame both longitudinally and transversely and having end porapoapsa tions attached to the frame, each wire interlocking the uppermost convolutions of the coils in one row or line with the corresponding convolutions of the coils in a next adjacent row or line, respectively, and said wire having a bight portion provided with a reverse bend forming a V-shaped hook portion disposed within the bight portion and hooked over a convolution, the reverse bend of the bight portion partially encircling said convolution, and the sides of the V-shaped hook portion being transversely crimped to completely encircle said convolution, said transverse crimps providing resilient shoulders for releasably securing said hook portion to said convolution with a snap action.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 582,895 Bone May 18, 1897 764,373 Reed July 5, 1904 839,271 Creedon Dec. 25, 1906 1,507,855 Reidenbach Sept. 9, 1924 

